Cicero As a Translator'
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ABSTRACT of THESIS on 'CICERO AS A TRANSLATOR' . I I ' ■ " I I I ^ — — — 111 111.... I ■ ■ ■ "P Examination of Cicero*s verse translations from Homer, the Greek ^ dramatists and Aratus, and of his prose translations from Plato, Xenophon and the Stoic and Ep4our§&ft philosophers, show the following characteristics of Cicero as a translator:- j As a rule he translates clearly and accurately. He omits what is irrelevant or superfluous if by so doing he can make the sense clearer ' ■;] he adds such explanations as will elucidate the Greek writer's meaning for j a Roman reader, e.g. his translation of the names of constellations. But I his method of translation varies according to his purpose in translating, àI Sometimes he gives only the main thought of the passage and omits all details, e.g. short passages translated from Homer and Plato. Sometimes his translation is free and he alters the tone of his original, e.g. two longer passages from Homer, and his version of Aratus' Phenomena. In / t Phenomena he adds many words connoting light. In his prose translations 1 . ' V the most striking change is his use of two Latin words for one Greek"word. His use of the dactylic hexameter for his translation of the Phenomena is much more varied than Aratus' and shows development when compared with the Latin hexameters of Ennius. Cicero's hexameters are smoother, and lighter and more varied than Ennius', and contain fewer archaisms. Some passages are almost equal to the versification of Virgil. Cicero, compared with earlier Roman translators from the Greek, seldom ■* r _ ■■ I j, uses compound Latin epithets coined on the analogy with the Greek. 1 Cicero created a philosophical language. He coined few words, bût combined common words. He was consistent in his use of philosophical terms and careful in the framing of definitions. CICERO AS A TR.WSLATOR. Summary of Chapters. I. Cicero as a Translator. The character of his translation varies accord ing to the original Greek and his object in trans lating it - lost translations - extant verse trans lations to be discussed* II. Cicero's Translations from Homer* Tke short passages - the Sirens' invitation to Odysseus - Calchas' interpretation of the omen of the snake and the sparrows - Cicero as a translator of Homer. III. Cicero's Translations from the Greek Dramatists. The authorship of these passages - the passage translated from Sophocles' Trachiniae - translations from Euripides. IV. Earlier Poets as Translators from the Greek. Early Latin literature owed much to translations Livius Andronicus - Naevius and Pacuvius compared v/ith/ ProQuest Number: 10097154 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest 10097154 Published by ProQuest LLC(2016). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 with Cicero as inventors of compound epithets - Ennius' translation of the Medea - comparison of Ennius with Cicero. V. Cicero's translations from Aratus. The 'Phenomena' is Cicero’s earliest transla tion - it was written as a literary exercise - Cicero usually literal - the didactic element - intricate passages translated More freely - obscure passages simplified - words and passages omitted by Cicero because (l) otiose or (2) confusing or (3) epithets inapplicable to stars - passages elaborated by Cicero with the object of explaining or adorning the original - Greek names explained - Greek naraes translated - Latin names substituted - digression on Cicero's etymology - other explanations added by Cicero - Greek legends explained - elaboration for poetic effect including the addition of epithets and of words connoting light - av/e-inspiring element ig nored by Cicero - passages concerning mankind - passages misinterpreted by Cicero - estimation of Cicero's translation of the Phenomena - his trans lation of the Prognostica - this less literal and more beautiful than his translation of the Phenomena comparison/ comparison with Virgil's translations. VI. Cicero's Use of the Dactylic Hexameter. iHis metre comparatively new to Latin liter ature - Cicero familiar with the hexameters of Homer and Ennius - characteristics of Ennius* verse - the extent to which they are found in Cicero - comparison of Cicero, Ennius and Virgil with regard to the sim ultaneous ending of clause and verse, elision of s, polysyllabic verse ending, proportion of dactyls and spondees, variety of rhythm. VII. Cicero's Translations from Plato's Tlmaeus. His object in translating the Timaeus - his version is usually very accurate - his aim is to make the argument clear and he therefore (l) omits minor points (2) occasionally sacrifices elegance to clear ness (3) introduces Greek words (4) adds explanatory phrases - occasional misinterpretation - omission of words apparently not understood - Cicero is con sistent in the use of special terms - instances of one Greek word translated variously - Cicero's use of pairs of synonyms - his translation of similes and metaphors - estimation of his translation as a whole. 4. VIII. Cicero's Prose Translations (other than the Timaeus). The authors from whom Cicero translates - often only the important points translated and details omitted or generalised - translation of the story of Gyges - translation of an anecdote from Xenophon - translation of a typical passage f rom Plato - trans lation of familiar Greek terms by corresponding Latin equivalents - translations of Epicurean and Stoic definitions. IX. Cicero as thé Creator of a philosophie language. Cicero was the first Roman to write on philo sophical subjects - his assertion that Latin is as rich a language as Greek - his caution in coining new words - he created a new language by (l) combining old words into new phrases (2) giving new meanings to old words (3) coining new words - his consistent use of philosophical terms. X. Conclusion. Summary of the characteristics of Cicero's translations with regard to general tone, language and metre - the difficulty of translating - Cicero was translating from a familiar language into his native tongue. NOTE. I have generally employed the following texts: The Teubner text of Cicero's works. Archer-Hind*a edition of Plato's Timaeus. G. R. Mair's edition of Aratus' Phenomena.. (Loeb Classics) The Oxford Classics (Greek). CH.APTSR I. Cicero as a Translator* Marcus Tullius Cicero reveals himself through his writings in many different diaracters* We can see him as an orator, a poet, a statesman, a philosopher, or a personal friend* I have made it my object to seentiat he was like in yet another capacity, that of a trans lator of Greek literature. Even as a translator his character varies. For he translates at one time into verse and at another Into prose, and his object in translating is not always the same. He translates from Homer and the Greek dramatists to illustrate philosophical theories. He translates Aratus as a literary exercise* He translates Plato's Timaeus in order that the Romans may have a Latin version of the dialogue. It is important to bear this in mind in judging him as a translator. We shall expect him to be most literal when he is translating the Timaeus; and we shall not be surprised if we find that he does not translate Homer as an epic poet, or Aratus as an Alexandrine peat, whose faults must be reproduced as well as his virtues. If - m a 2. If the young poet, Cicero, can improve on his exemplar, Aratus, we shall find that he will do so. It is most unfortunate that none of Cicero's trans lations from the Greek orators has survived. He trans lated, among ither speeches, Demosthenes on the Grown, but only his comment on the translation remains to tan talise us. "Non converti ut interpres sed ut orator, etc." (de Opt.gen. orat c3)• I propose to begin with his verse translations from the Greek poets; taking, firstly, the passages from Homer; then, those from the dramatists; and lastly, his version of Aratus' Phenomena, which is the longest of his verse translations and the one wherein he attains the greatest measure of success as a poet. CHAPTER II. Cicero's Translations from Homer. Cicero's extant translations from Homer consist of seven short passages {one to three linesand two longer ones. The translations are all embodied in his other writings where they are used as Illustrations; and it is not surprising to find that^while the point is brought out clearly in the translation^the rest of the quotation is often less faithfully rendered. For example, Cicero translates Iliad IX 646:- yUo! OTrîTûTt YW V /lpVjl/0/G-|V T w ’ V-^<TT7JV^ as (Tusc: III §l8) Gorque meura penitus turgescit tristibus iris Cum decore atque omni me orbatum laude recorder. This translation is clear in sanse and forcible in sound - with its repetition of one syllable - cor, decore, orbatum, recordor, and the alliteration of t and s. But Cicero has omitted the simile and the dram atic setting “Cv arcr* / ^ /|Tp s , so that there is no clue to the context. In/ 4. In the following passage Cicero's translation so far compresses the original as to leave the main point less forceful than it is in Homer. Hector challenges an Achaian to single combat and promises that if he slays the Achaian the Achaian shall be buried on the seashore where seafarers will pass and say:- (II: VII 89) o v TToT 0l|O f cr-Tt uo TcL KoCT ^ ^ I (p s 5 which Cicero translates:- (de Gloria II l) Hie situs est vitae iam pridera lamina linquens Qui quohdam Hectoreo perculsus concidit ense.